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TORONTO – Canada must defend itself against an emerging Russia in the High Arctic, says one of Canada’s most decorated veterans, a man who helped defeat Germany in the Second World War.

Richard Rohmer, an honorary lieutenant-general and former major-general in the Canadian Armed Forces, took a breather inside Queen’s Park on Monday after helping lead Remembrance Day ceremonies outside.

The 100-year-old was a reconnaissance fighter pilot in the war, helped attack the Germans from the sky on D-Day and in 1945 took out a key bridge in Holland, leaving the retreating Germans without an escape route.

Adolf Hitler’s army surrendered soon after that.

Rohmer is now sharing a warning for Canadians about the freedoms they enjoy.

“We’re starting to get great messages now about the need to defend our High Arctic against the Russians who are sitting on the other side of the water,” he said.

“And it’s time we started to defend ourselves, which we don’t.”

Over the summer, the Pentagon warned of increasing Russian destabilizing activities in the Far North, along with more naval co-operation between Russia and China in the area.

Climate change is also leading to worries about Canada’s sovereignty in the North, a vast, remote area that may become more accessible to Russia and China as the Arctic Ocean thaws.

“We have to build up our forces again,” said Rohmer, who flew 135 missions in his P-51 Mustang during the Second World War.

“It’s good for Canadians to learn about the military on days like this so that we can start to get more interest among the young people.”

An image of the famed plane was etched into the Veterans’ Memorial wall outside Queen’s Park in 2006.

But Rohmer was unable to accomplish one final mission: get the name of the wall engraved on the side facing the legislature, which is currently blank.

So during his speech, he asked Premier Doug Ford to step up.

“It is the Veterans Memorial wall and a few words, letters, somehow, premier, on that side would be helpful to let all strangers know — when they appear and see this wall, they don’t know what it is,” he said.

“At the moment, it’s just a blank wall, but the premier is the kind of man who likes to get things done and I’m giving him another suggestion.”

Ford smiled and nodded.

Nearly 150,000 Allied troops stormed the French beaches on D-Day, including 14,000 Canadians. About 359 Canadians were killed that day and another 5,000 died in the ensuing months of battle.

Rohmer, a lawyer and prolific author, returned to Normandy this year for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. He was part of D-Day and played a critical role in Germany’s defeat.

In the lead up to the end of the war in 1945, Rohmer was an artillery specialist as a fighter pilot. One day, he had instructions to take out a key bridge held by the Germans in Holland with a “super heavy artillery gun,” he said.

As he zeroed in on a bridge on the Meuse River in Venlo, he took heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire.

“I was shot at a lot,” he said with a grin.

He pulverized the bridge.

“But I finally knocked the bridge down overnight and that was the last bridge that the Germans had to get out,” Rohmer said.

“So that caused the German army to ultimately surrender.”

Next May, Rohmer plans to return to the Netherlands, where he finished his tour of duty.

“I want to be there for May the fifth, the day the war stopped and Holland was liberated,” Rohmer said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

EDMONTON – An Alberta soldier says he’s reflecting this Remembrance Day on the number of local troops being shipped overseas.

Lt.-Col. Bryn Wright, commanding officer of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, was one of hundreds who bowed their heads Monday for a solemn ceremony that comes as conflicts escalate in Europe and the Middle East.

Wright, who enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, said this year was particularly important to him because many from Edmonton’s military community are deployed overseas, including more than 40 people from Wright’s regiment alone.

“This city, the people here, always step up to the plate when things are bad, whether it be back at the Boer War, World War I, World War 2, all the way through to now,” he told those gathered at Edmonton City Hall.

An 11-piece pipe band sent chills through the air as their tune “Highland Cathedral” echoed through city hall. As the band played on, cadets stood at ease in a straight and narrow line.

Randy Boissonnault, the local member of Parliament, said 2.3 million Canadians fought in the country’s most significant conflicts. Roughly 118,000 were killed in action.

“We stand here in this moment as a direct result of their sacrifices,” he told those gathered at Edmonton City Hall.

Boissonnault, comparing democracy to a flower garden, said Canadians must be like its gardeners as thousands of Canadian troops are deployed overseas. He noted many are training Ukrainian soldiers to defend themselves against Russia.

“We all must tend to democracy,” he said.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said Alberta’s capital city has a deep military history spanning more than 100 years, with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment tracing its history back to 1908.

Outside the building, the traditional folk song “Scotland the Brave” could be heard as hundreds more Edmontonians stood in the teeth-chattering cold to look up at the city’s cenotaph, guarded by four armed soldiers.

At the stroke of 11, they fell silent as a bugle sounded “The Last Post.” Veterans and their families joined other dignitaries to lay wreaths at the foot of the cenotaph.

Wright said he was pleased with Monday’s turnout.

“You can see by the numbers that today is not just about speeches,” he said. “It’s about reflection on where we came from and what our history is and remembering those who served and fell and those who continue to serve.

“It is very heartwarming for the members of the regiment to know that the city supports us.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a statement, said Remembrance Day honours those who died and those soldiers who fight personal battles when they come home.

“We honour the veterans who carry these invisible wounds of service and we stand with the families who supported them through every challenge,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

FERGUS, Ont. – Severe weather researchers say a tornado carved out a “long, narrow path of damage” in a community near Guelph, Ont., on Sunday.

The Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University says it sent a team to investigate in Fergus, Ont., and confirmed a tornado touched down there.

The organization says it has assigned a preliminary rating of EF0, which represents winds between 90 and 130 kilometres per hour.

David Sills, the project’s executive director, says most tornadoes in Canada occur between June and August, and it’s “far less common” to see them in the shoulder seasons.

However, he says, there have been November tornadoes in southern Ontario — and other parts of Canada — in the past.

The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed tornadoes had occurred in New Brunswick and British Columbia earlier this month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.